RETIREMENT PLANNING: MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER IN TODAY'S WORLD

It wasn't so long ago that the average retirement most people envisioned involved saying good riddance to a time clock, moving to some warm retreat, traveling, and spending the rest of the days playing golf and bingo, gardening, chasing the grandchildren, and otherwise relaxing. Such a retirement dream can still be realized today, but it's certainly much more difficult with lengthening life spans, the solvency of Social Security and Medicare in question, and tumultuous markets. Retirement planning is more important than ever in today's world of uncertainty.

With the average life span increasing, you could spend almost a third of your life in retirement. This possibility could naturally lead you to question how you'll possibly pay for your retirement and if you'll even need to delay it.

Working through Retirement. You'll need to take your work plans into consideration during your retirement planning since it will impact how much you need to save for your retirement and the benefit you'll get from Social Security.

Do factor in your profession/job if you plan to continue working. It will be much easier for you to continue working at your own pace if you have a job allowing for either a partial retirement or a status change, such as to a contractor. Otherwise, you might be forced to find a completely different job to continue working.

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Prepare yourself for the likelihood that the decision to work through retirement will impact your existing retirement plans, including plans to travel and to spend time with family. As you get closer to retirement, you'll need to take into account the condition of your overall health and any ailments you might have that would affect the type of job you can get or continue doing during retirement.

Paying for Retirement. The chaos and confusion surrounding the stock market during the past few years taught many Americans two lessons: 1. Never rely on investment returns to fund retirement solely, and 2. One can save too little, but never too much.

Increasing your savings could mean making some difficult sacrifices for your future financial betterment, such as by saving versus spending bonuses and inheritances and keeping your debt manageable at all times.

You should contact the Social Security Administration to verify your full-retirement age and get an estimate of your expected benefits. This information can affect when you decide to start collecting benefits and help you determine if and how long you want to work past your retirement age.

Make sure that your money is diversified in both allocations and asset classes. You can contact a financial planner to help ensure this is done in a way that best suits your financial goals and needs.
Don't forget to be flexible when it comes to your retirement plan, budget, and savings. After all, you might find that what you envision today isn't the same as what you envision 10 or 20 years from now.

Expect Obstacles. Life in other areas won't just stop because you're planning and saving for your retirement. In fact, there will likely be many other financial obstacles and challenges thrown at you. You need to be prepared and plan for what you can. For example, you can prevent possibly being financially responsible for your aging parent's long-term care needs by having a proactive discussion with them about the presence or absence of Long-Term Care insurance and the state of their finances. Another example would be having a realistic discussion with your children about your ability or inability to pay their college tuition.

Here are a few things you can get started on today:

• Contact a financial planner to help you run the numbers and get an estimate on how much you'll need to maintain your current lifestyle during retirement. The planner will use that estimate and your age, current income, expected income, savings, and projected date of retirement to help you set or adjust your retirement savings goals.
• Once you've set your goals, you can create a savings budget to help you put the right amount toward savings each month. However, don't forget to include other areas you must save toward, such as an emergency fund or child's college tuition.
• Determine if and what sacrifices you'll need to make now to achieve your retirement savings goals and ultimately secure your financial future.

FINDING THE BEST CARS FOR CAREGIVERS

Providing personal care and assistance for another person usually involves many hours of driving. Trips to the doctor, the pharmacy or even errand runs rack up the miles quickly. When a person is responsible for their own needs and the needs of another, the resulting stress adds a complexity that can be overwhelming. For this reason, it is important to have the right vehicle. When shopping for a car, van or other type of vehicle, caregivers should think about a few important considerations.

Accessibility. If people with limited mobility will be frequent passengers in the vehicle, it is important to choose one that is easy to enter and exit. For example, a woman who cares for her tall handicapped husband would find a van with a chair lift easier to use than a standard car. Car transfers involve stooping and awkward transfer positions. If vans or SUVs do not have chair lifts, it might be difficult to boost a person up to seat levels. If a special handicapped vehicle is not an option, consider purchasing a crossover. They sit higher than cars but lower than SUVs. Be sure to select a vehicle with plenty of foot room.

Storage. When caregivers travel with the people they take care of, there are usually many extra items to bring along. Oxygen tanks, special medical equipment and mobility aids are all items that take up plenty of space. Be sure to purchase a vehicle that has enough room to hold suitcases, medical equipment and other belongings. However, the items being stored should not compromise foot room and comfort space. This is another area where crossovers beat regular cars. They have seats that fold down, and there is plenty of room to store equipment in the back. Trunks or doors that open with remotes are also beneficial features to look for.

Technology & Safety Features. With the right interior technology, a vehicle can make life on the road much easier for a caregiver. Something as simple as a multi-disc changer or MP3 player connections for an irritable passenger who feels the need to change music frequently might help the driver stay focused. However, there are also more practical features. For example, some vehicles feature a special communication service, which connects drivers to emergency medical help with the simple push of a button. Hands-free calling systems allow drivers to make important calls without the danger of holding a phone while driving. Navigation systems are also very helpful. This is especially true for caregivers who live in big cities or travel out of town regularly. They help drivers find pharmacies, hospitals, specific addresses or even coffee shops. If a car does not have a navigation system, it is still possible to purchase a portable GPS for an affordable price. For those who will be traveling with children or distracted passengers, a rear-seat DVD system is a good idea.

Fuel Efficiency. With the unsteady and ever-increasing cost of fuel, it is important to purchase a vehicle that will use it efficiently. Many caregivers are surprised at how much money they can save each month by simply purchasing a car that gets 10 to 20 miles more per gallon on the highway than their current vehicles.

Ramps and other additions should also be considered. Although a person's current mobility status may be fair, it is important to think about the next few years. Will that person be likely to require a wheelchair? Think carefully about features before driving off the lot. Caregivers also deserve a treat, so it is good for them to choose a few additional features they prefer. Volume control buttons on the steering wheel, heated seats or other luxuries might make the caregiver feel more comfortable. Since their natural instinct is to look out for others, caregivers often forget to do something nice for themselves. It is also important to choose a vehicle that is affordable to insure. To find out which options are best, discuss them with an agent.

YOGA HELPS COMBAT STRESS IN SENIORS

Senior citizens make up the group most affected by stress-related psychological and medical conditions. For such issues, yoga might offer great relief. Recent research shows that it is effective in treating people who suffer from high blood pressure, depression, anxiety and cardiovascular disease. The theory that researchers have might help develop mind-body practices as preventative treatments for such conditions, which are helpful when used with standard treatments.

In their theory, researchers believe that stress is a contributing factor in creating an imbalance in the autonomic nervous system. The result is sympathetic over-activity and parasympathetic under-activity. In addition to this, it causes under-activity of gamma amino-butyric acid, which is an inhibitory neurotransmitter. This transmitter's long name is often shortened to GABA. With anxiety disorders, there is low GABA activity. Low activity is also present in people with epilepsy, depression, chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder. The hypothesis these researchers have could also show why vagal nerve stimulation decreases depression symptoms and seizure frequency.

Although there are differences between the two, Eastern Medicine and Western Medicine are complementary. Yoga originated in the East, but professionals in the West are embracing its benefits. Recent research contributes to the theory that seniors feel better by simply relieving symptoms that present themselves in several common disorders.

Seniors & Yoga. Fitness experts believe that yoga is one of the best tools for combating the negative aspects of aging. With seniors, it can be used to reduce health concerns and increase mobility. It reduces or helps alleviate several health challenges, which means it is easier for seniors to adopt this form of therapeutic exercise.

Yoga & Walking. Walking is a common fitness choice for the aging population. Researchers compared two groups of people over a span of 12 weeks. One group walked for fitness, and the other group participated in yoga. The results showed that there were no increases in GABA levels for the walking group. However, the yoga group showed increased GABA levels. In addition to this, their anxiety levels had decreased. In a separate study, patients suffering from chronic pain in their lower backs were studied. Over a span of 12 weeks, they also experienced increases in their GABA levels. Their pain levels were greatly reduced in comparison with the levels commonly seen in conventional treatment results.

Researchers continue to test the effectiveness of yoga on mental health, physical health and overall wellness in seniors. The results still seem to consistently indicate that yoga is beneficial. By incorporating these new mind-body therapies, medical professionals hope to continue reducing several negative aspects of aging. Although not all seniors may be physically able to perform all yoga exercises, even those with limited mobility can benefit from some.